Biblical Seminary | News and Upcoming Events

City Leaders Join BTS on Missional Engagement

In the wake of the two recent grand jury decisions not to indict white police officers for killing unarmed black men, our nation is again awakened to ongoing and systemic racial tension. Biblical Seminary recognizes the debate around these events within the Christian community and the need to address them.

On February 23rd Biblical Seminary hosted our first Black History Month event in Philadelphia at Temple University’s Student Center.

The Graduate School of Counseling at BTS joined with the Urban ministry program to moderate a conversation on Race, Law Enforcement, and Trauma.

The event was titled From Protest to Process - How Can the Church Become a Healing Community?

To a room filled with more than 100 attendees that included civic leaders, ministry practitioners, and college students a panel conversation for which I served as facilitator offered perspectives on community and police relations, race, and the impact trauma has within urban environments.

Participants on the panel who fielded questions from the audience included:

Dave Lamb at Penn on God Behaving Badly...

A coalition of campus groups at the University of Penn that included Cru, Greek IV, and the Christian Union gathered on Thursday night March 19 to engage with BTS Associate Professor of Old Testament Dave Lamb on his book God Behaving Badly, Is the God of the OT Really Angry, Sexist, and Racist?

Dave humbly and graciously connected well with students at various levels of their spiritual journeys. The campus leaders of the event loved the lively discussion and the way Dave took students' questions seriously.

The University of Pennsylvania is a high powered secular university where 40% of the student body is of the Jewish faith. Students hung around to talk with Dave for more than an hour afterward. Asking follow up questions and pressing deeper into issues that troubled them.

The Christian Union bought and handed out a couple hundred copies of Dave's book God Behaving Badly during a campus walk the week before he spoke.

Roughly 75 students attended the talk, the majority Christian. However, at least a third of the questions were asked by people who were seeking to sort out their perspectives on God.

The most lively discussions centered around the Canaanite Genocide, Sodom, and "is God sexist?"

Super Bowl Champion Coming to BTS Campus

Bucks-Mont Leadercast is proud to announce that former NFL great and four-time Super Bowl Champion Matt Millen will be our lunchtime guest for Leadercast 2015, hosted by Biblical Seminary and CBMC on May 8, 2015 at Biblical’s suburban campus, 200 N. Main St., Hatfield, PA.

Matt, a broadcaster and commentator for ESPN television, had a brilliant career as both a college and professional football player. Following his playing days, he was the general manager of the Detroit Lions, a season of life that was both rewarding and challenging. The NFL Network profiled Matt’s colorful career in its series titled “A Football Life: Matt Millen,” originally broadcast in October 2013.

Matt’s wife Pat (an accomplished artist as well as a national champion gymnast from Penn State) is a BTS grad and a member of the seminary board of trustees. Their daughter Marianne, now a doctoral student at Wheaton College, also graduated from the seminary, and their son Matthew, a practicing attorney and pastor in Easton, PA , is a current BTS student. The Millens have two other children, Mrs. Michalyn Mooney (who lives with her husband, former Tennessee Titans running back Collin Mooney, near Nashville, TN) and Captain Marcus Millen, a West Point grad and military officer, currently serving in the Middle East.

Matt will be interviewed by his son, Matthew. You will not want to miss this live, on-site interview, available only at Bucks-Mont Leadercast.

Three BTS Alums Ordained Together

Congratulations to BTS Master of Divinity alum and assistant professor at BTS, Dr. Chang Hoon Oh for his ordination in the KAPC denomination on Monday, March 16, 2015.

Pictured (above-left) with newly ordained Pastor Oh along with a host of others are (to his immediate right) his son, Min and (to the immediate left) his wife, Hee Young Kim.

Pictured next is fellow 2014 BTS MDiv alum, Pastor Hyun Kee Bae also ordained and who delivered the benediction for the service.

Pictured below is yet another 2014 BTS alum and former president of the Korean Student Fellowship at BTS, Pastor John Oh, also ordained.

Finally student worker EK Park sang a song of congratulations with other BTS and WTS students.

A great day for BTS!

Faculty Follows Jesus to Pray with Coptic Church

Moved to act by a devotion delivered at a recent faculty meeting, the BTS faculty met with Father Salib and a group of his congregants at St Mary & St. Kyrillos Coptic Orthodox Church to join with them in acknowledging the act of violence committed against Coptic Christians this past February.

Those who went heard Father Salib present tragic details about the 21 Coptic Christians martyred by ISIS in Libya on Feb. 16, 2015. He told the faculty that Coptic Christians are praying for the men who committed these atrocities. What a moving and humbling demonstration of faith and obedience. And after all, didn’t Jesus say something along those lines? (see Mt. 5:44).

The group prayed together for the families of those slain, for boldness in the face of persecution, and for greater unity among Christ's body.

Additional BTS Alum at South Ridge this Sunday

Dr. Todd Mangum, BTS alum and both Professor of Theology and Academic Dean, will be speaking at South Ridge Community Church in Clinton, NJ this coming Sunday.

South Ridge is pastored by BTS grad Nathan Tuckey and BTS grads Jeremy Moore and Ben Stapley also serve there.

A Call to Action in Response to the 21 Martyrs

Over the last 48 hours QIdeas.org has focused their creativity and resources on supporting an appropriate response to the 21 Egyptian Christian martyrs. In partnership with many other leaders and organizations, their team created 21Martyrs.com as a simple place to call for action in two specific ways:

Join thousands of churches for a 'Moment of Silence and Prayer' this SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 22nd and play this video before offering a prayer of reflection. Please invite other church leaders in your area to participate as well for a moment of unity.

Engage the growing PRAY 703 initiative created by Ann Voskamp to guide us towards repentance and renewal during this Season of Lent at 7:03 each day. Use #Pray703 on twitter to follow her posts and mobilize others to join in here.

BTS Sisterhood in Full Swing

The women students and alums of BTS are excited to announce they have formed a women’s group to support those who have chosen to pursue MA, MDiv and/or DMin degrees at BTS.

The mission of BTS Sisterhood is to love and encourage each other as women ministry leaders through prayer, study, and sharing. This group meets the 2nd Monday of every month at 7 pm and alternates campuses. The even number months are in Hatfield and the odd months are hosted at Joy in the City. Please
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for more information.

Pictured above: alum Sharleen Briggs (far left) and students from left to right are Linda Evans, Gail R. Allen, Kirsten Britt and Sonya Sessoms

BTS Announces Graduation Speaker – and He’s an Alum

BTS is excited to announce that former faculty member Larry Anderson (BA, Cairn University; MDiv, BTS; DMin, BTS) is the speaker for this year’s Commencement at 11 a.m. on June 27 at LCBC in Harleysville, PA

Dr. Anderson is the Director of Church Health for the Baptist Resource Network of PA/SJ which oversees evangelism, discipleship and church strengthening for almost 400 churches throughout PA and South Jersey. He credits his solid training at BTS for equipping him to do this work.

Dr. Anderson also serves as the senior pastor of Great Commission Church in West Oak Lane, a church known for providing a holistic ministry to an urban setting. The combination of his BTS training and his solid leadership enabled the church to make a bold missional move from its previous suburban location in Roslyn PA.

BTS Alums Leading Missional Conference

BTS alums Rev. D. Kyle Canty, Missional Living Catalyst, and Dr. Larry Anderson Jr. are featured speakers at the Philadelphia Urban Missional Conference being held Saturday morning, March 21 at Great Commission Church in Philadelphia.

The conference will begin at 9:00 am and conclude with a complementary lunch and panel discussion at 1:00 pm.

There is no cost to attend. This event is made possible through Cooperative Program gifts from BRN churches across Pennsylvania and southern New Jersey. It is open to pastors, church and ministry leaders, church planters and anyone interested in creatively transforming your community for Christ.

BTS alum Jay Francoeur, Pastor of Cultivate Church, Voorhees, New Jersey will be on hand as well as BTS alum Pastor Michael Heath who will be available for those looking to learn how Biblical Theological Seminary can provide not just credentials, but more importantly prepare you to engage the changing culture.